Where Love Is Lost
by not-mad-but-visionary
Summary: Harry and Voldemort both died at the Final Battle... But a new leader rose for the Death Eaters. Hermione works with the Order to bring him down- whatever it takes. DMxHG
1. PROLOGUE

Prologue:

_Some people pray to God. They believe that when you die, your soul passes through to the Afterlife, to an open paradise called Heaven. But that's only for those who are good, who are Light and fight for justice. _

_Those who are dark go straight to the fiery pits of Hell, to burn in their own misery for all of time. _

_It was a decision I had to make, but one I didn't want to. Everyone always looked up to me as the leader, someone they could trust._

_I betrayed that trust._

_But he played them like pawns on the chess board; disposable, not particularly important, but there where he can use them. And I let him._

_God I was stupid._

_Obviously, I regret it now, but what use is crying over spilt milk? _

_If I could take back what I did, what I said, I would. My heart clenches whenever I think of everybody who was sacrificed to the Cause, all the people I knew. Even people who had just been passing acquaintances are now so important; unforgettable. _

_I can't give up though. To give up is to give in, and I'm sure as Hell not letting him win so easily- I'm not going down without a fight. I've been hurt, but I look at everyone who's been through worse than I have and I realise that… It doesn't matter. Now I have to focus- I can't afford to be distracted._

_I have to concentrate._

_Fate always did have a cruel way of working against you. _


	2. The Raining Sun

CHAPTER 1

_The Raining Sun_

Tears poured down my cheeks as I sat alone in my cramped bedroom in the Burrow- my fingers twisted around the chain of a heart shaped locket that sparkled in the sun. It had been a gift from my parents… just before they'd died.

_Been murdered, _a little voice in the back of my head whispered.

No one had been expecting it. Everyone had assumed Harry would defeat Voldemort, the Death Eaters would fail and we'd all live happily ever after, like in a Muggle fairy-tale.

I sniffed, choking back another sob that threatened to form. The Final Battle had been bloody, and I would be haunted by the images of my dead friends forever.

_God I miss Harry._

_Fire balls rained down on Hogwarts. There was fire, and so much smoke. I battled an unknown Death Eater who sent various curses of Dark Magic in my direction. I knew I was weakening. I'd been fighting for so long, and all my muscles were screaming out in protest for me to stop. But I wouldn't. I needed to stay strong for Harry._

_With renewed vigour I screamed, "STUPEFY!" and the Death Eater finally collapsed on the floor. Grinning, I jumped over him and weaved my way through the throng of battles going on. The hallways were littered with bodies of people I knew- some, just acquaintances, people I wanted to know better._

_Now I would never know them._

_I spotted Ginny giving Bellatrix a run for her money. Obviously not appreciating this, Bellatrix cackled and shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" which skimmed past Ginny's head. _

_I was about to intervene, when Molly Weasley came into view, and with a cry said, "not my daughter, Bitch." _

_Bellatrix screamed indignantly, but soon stopped when Molly occupied her with curses and hexes. Letting out a sigh of relief, I thought, _we might actually win this.

_That thought filled me with new life and energy, and I felt I could take on anything._

_Suddenly, a Death Eater strutted in front of me and casually pulled off his mask. _

_Lucius Malfoy._

Crap, _ran through my head._

_I defensively put up my wand, the word EXPELLIAMUS poised on my lips until he spoke:_

"_Well, well, well. The Mudblood Princess herself. I shall have much fun killing you." _

_With that, he brandished his own wand, but I was quicker and disarmed him. He looked beyond furious, like he would wrap his hands around my neck and choke me. Then again, which Death Eater _didn't _want to do that?_

_Suddenly, the whole room went cold, and a chill crept up my spine. It was different from the Dementors though; with them the Patronus charm would ward them away. Then, that darkness felt unstoppable, unbeatable, and it scared me. _

_Then, I saw him. He stood proud, and was flanked by a group of Death Eaters that had already disposed of their masks. I recognised Rudolphus Lestrange as well as Yaxley. The sight of Peter Pettigrew scurrying next to Voldemort disgusted me, but what shocked me most was our very own potions master walking side by side with them- Severus Snape._

_I froze, and Lucius used that moment to grab his wand and remove it from my unsuspecting grasp. I was too busy meeting the eyes of the most feared wizard in history._

_Summoning my Gryffindor bravery, I met his glare, though I was shaking inside. I was outnumber, outmatched and surely dead. _

_I tightened my grip on my wand, and summoned the courage to raise it against them._

_They took one look at me with me wand, and an unearthly sound erupted from their mouths. I thought they were all having seizures when it dawned on me- they were laughing. I couldn't help but feel insulted; I was the Brightest Witch of my Age after all. _

_The laughter died down, and Voldemort looked me straight in the eye once more._

"_I think it would be fitting to see your friends die first you little Mudblood, wouldn't you agree?" His smile more of a smirk, which uncannily resembled a ferret I knew…_

_Before I could utter a syllable, they disarmed me, and the sheer force of the spell made me fly back against the wall. I groaned, holding the back of my head. A warm liquid oozed against my hand- blood._

_They all sneered when I held my hand in front of my face, sneered as though they saw some filth in my blood that I couldn't. _

_I was hauled up to my feet by Yaxley, who didn't seem pleased he had to touch me, and was dragged behind the group with Voldemort to the Great Hall. The doors opened by magic, and I got a vague glimpse of Harry fighting a Death Eater. _

_Everything stopped, the Dark Lord's presence halting his followers. The Order also stopped, and expectant eyes turned to Harry. _

_Harry was brave in the face of danger, but this took it to new levels. We made eye contact, and the blood drained out of his face leaving behind a pale white. I must have looked pretty awful with blood pouring out my head, but Harry couldn't be distracted._

_Not now._

"_Need help to face me, Tom? Too scared to do it on your own?" Harry baited._

_With a snarl, Voldemort removed his wand from his robes and twirled it in his spidery fingers._

"_Harry Potter. It's time to die."_

_Harry and Voldemort were in the centre of a circle now, which had been formed by people crowding around, but not getting too close in case of a stray spell._

_There was silence. A deafening silence that could have caused the room to explode hung in the air, until it was broken by a screech from Voldemort of, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

"_EXPELLIAMUS!" Harry shouted and the spells met in mid-air, one green and one red. They each had a determined glint in their eyes, knowing only one would survive. _

_They continued in this fashion for half a minute, the victor of the power struggle still uncertain. It felt horrible to watch Harry fight for his life when there was nothing I could do. _

_And then it happened. _

_The battle turned in Harry's favour, his red light inching closer and closer towards Voldemort. _

_Harry poured all his magic into that spell, and I could see he was getting weaker- but so was Voldemort._

_Defending against such a powerful spell was hard, and taking a toll on Voldemort, I could see it in his snake- like eyes. The panic, the frustration, the agony; it was all crystal clear._

_All of a sudden, both spells stopped, literally frozen. They then shattered like glass and fell to the floor before sizzling and dissolving into nothing._

_Harry fell to his knees. Voldemort did the same._

_Then, the both simultaneously collapsed to the ground. _

_Mustering the remainders of my strength, I shoved Yaxley to the side and he tumbled in surprise. I sprinted to Harry, the crowds parting to let me through._

_When I finally reached him, I fell next to him and turned him to face the ceiling._

_One look at the glassy, lifeless eyes and I knew he was dead._

_I screamed. I howled. Nothing else mattered except for Harry's dead form which was firmly in my grasp. I kept begging him to wake up- Voldemort was dead, his own followers announcing it so- but there was no reaction. No mischievous glint in his eyes to tell me he was joking, that he was fine, and everything was going to be okay._

_Finally stopping, I released a shuddery breath. Voldemort was dead. Harry was dead._

_What next?_

_No one could have dreamed what happened after that. The turn of events were just too alien, too abstract._

_At this moment, another figure entered the Great Hall; platinum blonde hair glinting from the light and a smirk resting on his face._

_Is very presence seemed to demand respect and attention, and he waved to the Death Eaters. _

_They seemed to recognise this as a signal and all Disapparated with a _pop.

_Only those from the Order and people who'd fought to protect Hogwarts remained. They all stared at Malfoy in stunned silence- I could hardly believe it myself. The little albino Ferret coward was… in charge? Ordering about Death Eaters? In control?_

_He frowned, looking like he was concentrating, and began muttering something under his breath. No one stopped him. No one moved._

_He kept muttering, but I had no idea what he was up to. I mean, he didn't even have his wand for goodness sake! I was distraught by the death of my friend and only hope, but even I was getting annoyed. He just… stood there._

_Then, the room started to heat up. At first, it was barely noticeable, but soon we started looking around for the cause. It was obvious what it was, or rather _who _it was. _

_Then, he looked up and stared at me. He'd stopped whatever it was he had been doing, and was just… staring. It was unnerving to say the least, and I couldn't help but stare back. My very soul radiated defiance, and he seemed to catch on when he smirked. God, how much I wanted to hit him for that smirk!_

_Then, he mouthed the words, "see you, Granger," and also Disapparated._

_The room was steaming now and sweat poured down my face. We'd tried to Apparate, but it was useless. They'd somehow blocked it off._

_I felt myself give in to the heat, and my eyelids started to get heavier and heavier. I lied down on the ground next to Harry and cautiously touched his hand. I was like ice, the lucky bugger._

_I slipped my hand in his, and prepared to die next to him, but I felt strong arms pull me up._

"_No," I mumbled, but I was in no position to fight. _

_Finally, I succumbed to the darkness._

I woke up in a warm familiar place- the Burrow. All the Order members had gathered there to discuss what to do next. The Boy-Who-Lived was dead, but so was the Dark Lord and the future was unclear.

There had been many casualties from the unexpected attempt to cook us alive, but also many deaths. I thought a piece of me died when I heard that Arthur Weasley was dead. He'd been like a second father to me.

What really hurt me though was when I found out what happened to Ron. He'd been tortured to the brink of death, and was now insane, like Neville's parents. He was a danger to himself and others, but no one would admit it. Every possible cure had been tried, and all had proved as useless as each other.

The weeks following the Battle were horrendous. Death Eater attacks were scattered all over the country and kept us on our toes. Attack after attack ensued, until I was certain they would rest.

They didn't.

There final attack that month was on an innocent Muggle family who'd been unfortunate to have a witch for a daughter.

_My family._

They'd killed my parents, the people I cherished most in the world, who had nothing to do with the

Wizarding world. All the Death Eaters had wanted was to hurt me, but they couldn't have just done the direct approach and hit me, could they?

I cried myself to sleep for months, and found it difficult to hold myself together in public. They'd been cruelly snatched from me, and it _hurt like hell._

While in a zombie like state, I heard whispers in the kitchen from high ranking Order members. They mentioned the Ferret a few times, saying he'd taken control over the Death Eaters and was now the new Dark Lord.

The attacks had just been warm ups, and apparently worse was to come. Someone then began a lecture why their spy in the Dark Side could be unreliable and that created a full blown debate, but I wasn't listening.

Malfoy was the leader, huh? That meant he'd orchestrated the attacks.

_My parents._

It was that moment I pulled myself together and had a new goal. Revenge.

_Kill Draco Malfoy._

**Hello! This is my first ever fanfic, so please don't be too harsh! But any constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**Congratulations to Kar-Kar93 for being my first reviewer EVER! I hope you like this story XXX**

**If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, or review (I always get really happy when I see them. It's like… fluffiness…)**

**My next chapter might be a bit late (I'm in Barcelona!) but I'll still be writing it when I'm not busy **

**Thanks to all!**


	3. No Place for Rainbows

CHAPTER 2

_No Place for Rainbows_

I frustrated wiped the useless tears away.

_No more crying, _I promised myself.

Tucking my locket safely away under my shirt, and safely away from others' prying eyes, I found myself wondering to the kitchen. Something was always pleasant in there- the food, the smell, the people, the environment, and I loved it.

Gently creaking the door open, I casually walked inside and was pleasantly surprised to find Ginny sitting at the table, massaging her neck.

Smiling I began, "Ginny, I didn't know you were-" and I stopped. I saw what she was massaging.

Bright blooming red finger-marks splayed all over her throat.

I immediately sat down on the chair opposite her, and lifted her fingers away to inspect the damage.

"What happened?" I asked in a determined voice.

"Ron… Ron got worse. I went into his room, and he just… he just exploded. It was like he didn't even recognise me!" Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes as she spoke and threatened to spill over.

"There has to be something we can give him to stop this happening." I pulled out my wand, and said some healing incantations over her neck. The marks blended with the skin until the disappeared and the swelling instantly went down.

"I'm so scared, Hermione. He just sits there in his room all day, and draws those horrible pictures… looking at them, they're the no-so-Final Battle all over again." She tried to finish the sentence with a small smile, but all she seemed to manage was a grimace.

At that moment, the door re-opened, and a head popped round the door.

"I thought I heard voices in here," Remus Lupin said, grinning. When he saw the serious expressions on their faces however, his cheerful mood died down.

"Ginny, you should go get some rest," I encouraged. Ginny nodded, and got up. Smiling gratefully at me, she left without another word.

"Ron attacked her," I answered to Lupin's confused expression.

He walked in, and sat in Ginny's previous seat.

"I think I know how to help him," he said uncertainly. My eyes sparkled and I began grinning.

"But it's a very rare potion."

"Rare?" Sceptically, I raised an eyebrow.

"There's only one known vile of it in existence. The person who made it… didn't want us getting our hands on it…"

"It's a Deatheater?" I replied incredulously.

"It's a bit more serious than that I'm afraid," Lupin paused. "Draco Malfoy brewed this potion some time last year under the guidance of Severus Snape."

Time seemed to stop, and my voice rose dangerously.

"Draco. Malfoy." I said, processing this new, essential information.

"I think you can work out where it's kept…" he continued.

I sighed, looked like I was in for a bumpy ride.

Draco Malfoy was bored. Being leader of the Deatheaters and all-powerful was fun and all, but it got boring when no intelligent conversation was available.

He sighed, and twirled the potion vial in his hands. The Order would be dying to get their grubby muddy hands all over it… but he guessed that was why he'd leaked its existence to the Order via his ever-so-reliable spy.

He couldn't wait for Granger to come out and play.

**Hello! Me again! Sorry this is so late, but Barcelona was GORGEOUS! And then (typical me) I've been ill all week! Anyway, here's the chapter!**

**Please R&R! I'm dying to know what you're thinking!**


	4. Colours in the Sky

CHAPTER 3

_Colours in the Sky_

I looked over my bag once again. Everything seemed to be in place, and I had all I needed.

You could never be too careful when going on missions like these, and I wasn't taking any chances. Ron had to get better.

He just had to.

My locket suddenly grew heavy on my neck, serving as a reminder of all I had lost.

I wasn't going to lose this time. I refused to.

Sighing, I tied the bag on my belt. All my belongings had been magically enchanted so they were lighter and smaller, and all together easier to manoeuvre. It was just one of the many things I loved about magic.

There was only one immediate problem. This mission hadn't been officially cleared by the Order- Lupin had said it was just too dangerous and almost definitely a trap- it didn't matter to me. I was going anyway.

I had no doubt Malfoy the Bouncing Ferret was no different from at school. Okay, maybe a little more threatening, but I was a Gryffindor, proud and courageous. His power wasn't going to scare me away.

I couldn't Apparate in the Burrow; someone would almost certainly hear me and I didn't need that to ruin my plans. It would be obvious when I returned that I'd gone anyway- it's not like I could magically cook up the potion we needed when I didn't even know the ingredients .

Sneaking stealthily downstairs I nearly made it to the door when-

"Hermione… What are you doing?"

I whipped around to find Ginny emerging from the kitchen.

I needed an excuse.

"I was…umm… Didn't you know?" I tried.

"Know what?" She asked, confused.

"I thought you knew!" I pretended to be shocked.

"_Know what?" _she repeated, getting frustrated.

"So… you don't know?"

"Argh!" Ginny threw her hands in the air and stomped upstairs.

Perfect.

Only thing between me and freedom was the door, and getting through that didn't prove particularly difficult.

My only concern was that we'd been a bit loud… Who'd heard us?

(\_/)

(='.'=)

(")_(")

Draco smirked. His little bird in the Order had told him a certain Gryffindor Princess was on her way.

His Mother had always told him not to play with his food… but he just couldn't seemed to help it.

With a wave of his hand, the Wards protecting the Manor disappeared. Anyone could get in now.

Perfect.

o)))))

I held my wand tightly in my hand, and the uncomfortable feeling of being shoved through a tube made my insides squirm. It left, however, as quickly as it had come and I landed in a garden.

_The Malfoy Garden._

It was… strange. I shouldn't have been able to Apparate so close. The Wards should have stopped me.

Why didn't they?

All around me was a silence; another aspect of this mission that raised my suspicions. No one was around. No Deatheaters, no staff… Nothing.

It was uncomfortably eerie, and I made no hesitation to stride confidently through the garden.

Maybe the Deatheaters didn't like the weather.

I soon come to a grand entrance of glass double doors. They were truly spectacular. Around the edges of the doors there were intricate designs and patterns, the finishing touch being the gold leaf that covered them.

I didn't have time to admire this though. The potion was beckoning.

It was truly unlucky that they'd made no maps of the Manor. It would have made it much easier. Numerous corridors and hallways filled the mansion and I was shocked – and even suspicious- that there were no Death Eaters patrolling the halls. I thought they worshipped there leaders…

Not particularly interested in the details, I say a room that had a door that was different from all the others. While all the doors had been simple and of wood, this one had intricate carvings and designs, reminding me of something out of Gringotts.

Cautiously, I pushed open the door to reveal something resembling an office. I wasn't a large room, but it certainly wasn't small; it was spacious enough for the requirements of an office.

Files were splattered carelessly over the desk that stood in the centre of the room and I was delighted to see a wheelie-chair behind it. I went and sat down on it, and used it to spin around the room.

There were plenty of bookcases and I shuddered when I saw the books of Dark Arts. A Pensieve was in the corner, and while I was immensely curious, something else caught my eye.

In the middle of the desk was a bottle filled with a strange fluorescent orange liquid. Under it, was a file labelled "Potions."

Slipping it out and disregarding personal space, I opened the file. In it were the details of a potion to cure… I skipped a few pages and found it. A potion to cure madness. Whoever's office this was had done a detailed description of the instruction to brew the potion and the final colour for it was… orange. Bright orange.

My eyes flickered to the potion on the desk and I realised something was terribly wrong.

Everything had been too convenient; basically laid out in front of me. No Death Eaters to stop me going where I pleased- I mean, where the hell were they? _Shopping? _

And the office door which stood out and lead me to exactly what I wanted to find.

It was like it had been… planned out?

I was interrupted from my thoughts by a cheerful humming… was that Ode to Joy?

I panicked- the humming was getting closer but where could I hide. There was literally no where.

There was no more time- someone had reached for the door handle- I could hear it turning.

Running out of ideas, I dived under the desk and crawled to the edge, blocked off from view.

The door opened. The humming stopped.

o)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Draco opened the door and stopped humming. She _still _hadn't shown up. Had she chickened out?

It wasn't in her character though. She was a proud Gryffindor through and through, and this was the only chance for her to help Ronniekins.

Tired, he moved to the desk and sat down on the chair. He _did _like these sorts of chairs. It made him feel in charge.

Casually, he leaned forward and looked at the desk. The file had been moved. Someone had been here. But, the potion was still _there._

Confused he sat back and stretched his legs out… and felt his feet kick something.

o)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I couldn't believe it. Whoever it was had kicked me… and my cover was completely blown.

The person stood up and began backing away from the desk, leaving me room to get out. I was surprised they hadn't killed me already.

I crawled unceremoniously out from under the desk. I needed a plan _urgently. _

As soon as they were in view, I looked up at the person.

My heart stopped.

My lungs froze.

My eyes widened.

_You have got to be bloody kidding me. Is he… smiling?_

**Hello again! Sorry it took so long, bit reoccupied with school and what-not. Next chapter should be exciting… Draco kicked Hermione… how dumb is he?**

**Draco: I resent that**

**Me: No one asked for your opinion.**

**Anyway, leave any thoughts or comments by reviewing, and May the 4****th**** be with you (belated Star Wars Day!)**

**Any questions feel free to PM me. (bet your all jealous of my strange bunny sign and fish)**


	5. Misty Mornings Don't Mean Cloudy Days

Chapter 4

_Misty Mornings Don't Mean Cloudy Days_

I couldn't believe it; the new Dark Lord was standing just a couple of metres away from me, and smiling in a less than friendly way. I determinedly swallowed back the scream that was threatening to rip from my throat, and with all the dignity I could muster, I stood up.

Then, it came to me.

_Surprise attack!_

I pretended to nod my head, like I was acknowledging my defeat, and slowly stood up, brushing non-existent dirt from my clothing.

_I need to strike when he's not expecting it._

I decided to try to make conversation, just to put him off.

"So Malfoy, being the new Dark Lord all you'd hoped it'd be?"

He returned my sentence with an all too familiar smirk.

"That, and more." He replied, circling around the desk so he was directly opposite me. He leaned forward uncomfortably close and whispered in my ear, "to be honest, it gets a little… lonely."

I shivered involuntarily, and took a step back. He simply smirked at my awkwardness, and carried on as if nothing had happened.

"You know, Granger, it's been a while," he continued, and moved so he was looking through the window, "and being in control is simply delicious."

I made the snap decision that that was my time to strike. I silently brought out my wand and cast a non-verbal "expelliamus."

Nothing happened.

I tried again, but he just stood there.

"This is my home, Granger, you didn't really think I wouldn't take any security measures did you?" He strolled towards me and I felt an iron like grip circle my body and hold me still.

_Damn. I HATE stupefys…_

He plucked my precious wand out of my hands and waved it about.

"And you thought this piece of _wood _could stop me. I feel vaguely insulted." He continued swishing it about. "I actually haven't needed my wand in a while… but I guess you already noticed that didn't you."

I was close to throwing off the curse, but I was afraid I was running out of time. He placed my wand carefully on his desk, as if not to damage it, and sat down.

"Looking for this, Dear?" he asked, picking up the bottle from its previous position. "Ronnikins not getting better?"

I got angry then, and my blood started boiling. I felt my magic pulse around me and it presented me with the strength I needed. I threw off the curse, and sent a wandless 'stupefy' of my own.

As soon as my curse took hold, I could feel the raw power he held. It felt so unnatural. No magical being possessed that much power.

However, I had some power of my own.

I kept the spell in place long enough to grab the bottle and my wand.

"I hope I never have the displeasure to have to see you ever again, Malfoy." And with those kind parting words, I Disapparated.

HGxDM

Draco couldn't deny it, she was more powerful than he'd expected. She'd caught him by surprise, the clever little minx.

What did she think she was doing? Standing up to him?

Then again, that had been the point. He'd been bored.

He felt an unearthly smile grace his features; he had a wonderful idea.

HGxDM

To say Lupin wasn't pleased when I got back would be a massive understatement. He was furious. I got a full lecture on why I shouldn't go off on my own, and I reminded his that technically, I was of age. His face upgraded from red to purple at that point, and I made a hasty retreat.

What really bothered me though was Malfoy's strange behaviour. I was almost (dare I say it) pleasant.

Why would he be pleasant to a filthy Mudblood like me? Only time would tell I guess.

HGxDM

Draco smiled when he put his spy into place. They were confused at his odd request, but who were they to question him?

Revenge was so sweet.

He frowned though, when he felt another headache come on. Why wouldn't they just shut up?

**BOO! It's been a while fellow Dramione shippers… this next instalment was… eye opening. I've had a wonderful idea for a new story, though. I'll spend a while planning before I post the next chapter of it though (I must confess, as to date it is simply known as UNNAMED) **

**Any thoughts on this story? If you haven't read it yet, you can check out my one-shot, Cheese and Onion or Ready Salted? **

"**I prefer ready salted myself…"**


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